Government Study Guide: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Section 1
State- a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any higher authority Nation- any sizable group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and, sometimes, religion. 4 Features of a State- Population, Territory, Sovereignty, and Government Sovereignty- means that a state has supreme and absolute authority within its territorial boundaries. It has complete independence, and complete power to make laws, shape foreign policy, and determine its own course of action Government- the institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions that are binding on all people living within the state Evolutionary Theory- the belief that the state evolved from the family Force Theory- says that government emerged when all people of an area were brought under the authority of one person or group Divine Right Theory- the notion that a god or gods have chosen certain people to rule by divine right Social Contract Theory- Basically states, by contract, people surrendered to the state the power needed to maintain order. The state, in turn, agreed to protect its citizens Thomas Hobbes View- He wrote that in a state of nature, no government existed. Without an authority to protect people from one another, life was nasty, brutish, and short. He believed that people did not have the right to break with the agreement of the social contract John Lockes View- He wrote that people were naturally endowed with the right to life, liberty, and property. To preserve their rights, they willingly contracted to give power to a governing authority. When a government failed to preserve the rights of the people, he believed the people had the right to break the contract 4 Purposes of Government- (1) to maintain social order; (2) to provide public services; (3) to provide for national security and a common defense; (4) to provide for and control the economic system Consensus- an agreement about basic beliefs

Chapter 1: Section 2
Unitary System- gives all key powers to the national or central government Federal System- divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments Confederation- a loose union of independent states Constitution- a plant that provides the rules for governmentserves three major purposes: (1) It sets out ideals that the people bound by the constitution believe in and share; (2) It establishes the basic structure of government and defines the governments powers and duties; (3) It provides the supreme law for the country Preamble- a statement that sets forth the goals and purposes to be served by the government The Federalist with James Madison- a series of articles written by James Madison that explained his concerns about the possibility of a group of people, united by special political interests, that would hinder the launching of the new government Constitutional Law- involves the interpretation and application of the constitutionprimarily concerns defining the extent and limits of government powers and the rights of citizens Politics- the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government Industrialized Nations- have generally large industries and advanced technology that provide a more comfortable way of life than developing nations doexamples would be the US, Japan, Canada, Australia, etc. Developing Nations- only beginning to develop industrially. Examples of non state international groups- Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) for Palestine, Hezbollah (Lebanon), AlQuaeda (throughout the world), Tamil Tigers (Sri Lanka), etc. Examples of large international companies- General Motors (USA), Sony (Japan), Shell Petroleum (Netherlands), Nestle (Switzerland), Cadbury (USA), Anheuser Busch (Netherlands), etc

Chapter 1: Section 3
Autocracy- a system of government in which the power and authority to rule are in the hands of a single individual Totalitarian Dictatorship- in this system, the ideas of a single leader are glorified and the government seeks to control all aspects of social and economic life Un Caudillo- ?

Monarchy- a form of autocratic government in which a king, queen, or emperor exercises the supreme powers of government, who usually inherit their positions Absolute Monarchy- monarchs have complete and unlimited power to rule their people Constitutional Monarchy- monarchs share governmental powers with elected legislatures or serve mainly as the ceremonial leaders of their governments Oligarchy- any system of government in which a small group holds power. The group derives its power from wealth, military power, social position, or a combination of these elements Democracy- any system of government in which rule is by the peoplethe people hold sovereign power Representative Democracy- the democracy in which the people elect representatives and give them the responsibility and power to make laws and conduct government Republic- voters are the source of the governments authorityElected representatives who are responsible to the people exercise power 4 Characteristics of Democracy- (1) Individual Liberty; (2) Majority Rule with Minority Rights; (3) Free Elections; (4) Competing Political Powers Political Party- a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy Good Environment Features for Democracy to Prosper- (1) Active Citizen Participation; (2) A Favorable Economy; (3) Widespread Education; (4) Strong Civil Society; (5) A Social Consensus Civil Society- a complex network of voluntary associations, economic groups, religious organizations, and many other kinds of groups that exist independently of government Social Consensus- democracies prosper where this happens, where most people accept democratic values such as individual liberty and equality for all Free Enterprise- the opportunity to control ones economic decisions provides a base for making independent political decisions, which is why this is called this in the US

Chapter 1: Section 4
Economics- can be defined as the study of human efforts to satisfy seemingly unlimited wants through the use of limited resources 3 Major Decisions for an Economic System- (1) what and how much should be produced; (2) how goods and services should be produced; (3) who gets the goods and services that are produced Capitalism- an economic system in which freedom of choice and individual incentive for workers, investors, consumers, and business enterprises is emphasized. The government assumes that society will be served by any productive economic activity that free individuals choose 5 Characteristics of Capitalism- (1) private ownership and control of property and economic resources; (2) free enterprise; (3) competition among businesses; (4) freedom of choice; and (5) the possibility of profits Free Market- a situation in which the government placed no limits on the freedom of buyers and sellers to make economic decisions Adam Smith- a Scottish philosopher and economist in 1776 who provided a philosophy for the free market system in his book The Wealth of Nations that described capitalism Laissez Faire- a French term meaning to let aloneaccording to this, a government should keep its hands off the economy Mixed Market Economy- an economy in which free enterprise is combined with and supported by government decisions in the marketplace. Government keeps competition free and fair and protects the public interest Socialism- under this, the government owns the basic means of production, determines the use of resources, distributes the products and wages, and provides social services such as education, health care, and welfare. Three main goals: (1) the distribution of wealth and economic opportunity equally among people; (2) societys control, through its government, of all major decisions about production; (3) public ownership of most land, of factories, and of other means of production Karl Marx- (1818-1883) a German thinker and writer, was a socialist who advocated violent revolution. He concluded that the capitalist system in his time would collapse, and published his ideas in a pamphlet called The Communist Manifesto Bourgeoisie- those who own the means of production Proletariat- workers, who work to produce the goods Communism- under this, one class would evolve, property would all be held in common, and there would be no need for government Command Economy- In communist nations, government planners decide how much to produce, what to produce, and how to distribute the goods and services producedcalled this because decisions are made at the upper levels of government and handed down to managers Look Over American Democracy and the Elected Official Worksheet